Index.



J. H. RAND.

INDEX.

APPLICATION F|LED APRA 15. 198- 1,302,848. Patented May 6,1919

BEI?? )1 HENRY d.

lll

TAKES-H. BAND, F NORTH TON AWANDA, NEW YORK. y p

i Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1919.

l Application med April 15, 1918.. Serial No. 228,503.

To all 'whom it may concern Beit known that I, 4Jaimes H. RAND, acitizen of the United States of America, and resident of NorthTonawanda., in the county of Niagara and State of New York, haveinvented. new and useful Im rovements in Indexes, of which the followingis a speciication.

`'llhis invention relates to index devices and more particularly tooverlapping card in- -dexes of the so-called visible index type,

' tion,-

wherein a series of hinged, index elements are supported in a frame inoverlapped,

spaced relation vwith their. free margins gro-A jecting one beyondanother lto'display i e tifying characters.

@ther features of the invention will hereinafter be described andpointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings whichillustrate one embodiment of theinven- Figure 1 containino' the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on line2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a face view of one of the inde elements;

' Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; c

"Fi 6 is a transverse section on line 6-6 0f and l y Fig. 7 is a detailof a modification.

The frame may be of 'any usual or preierred construction, and as hereinshown consists of. a back A of sheet metal, having inwardly bent angesa, a, forming oppose channels. l

A series of similar index elements constituting card-holders aresupported in the frame, each comprising a base portion 1 and a ,freeportion 2, integrally-formed ot cardboard or other suitable lsheetmaterial di vided by a crease 3, which constitutes a hinge on which thefree portion may beI swung away from the frame.

The base portion v1 has a pair of lateral projections 4, 4, which extendinJto the channels of the frame formed by flanges a, a, and hold thebase portions 1 atwise in the frame, permitting the card-holdersvhoweverto slide lengthwise of the frame. The base portion 1 is providedwith supporting and spacing tabs 5, preferably cut from the body of thesheet material and bent a little to the rearward. Said tabs engage theedge of the is a face view of'an index device.

base portion of thev next adjacentcard-holder and hold the cardholdersin overlapped spaced relation. It will be observed also that thesuccessive VIbase portions of the index elements overlap one another,thus lending support one to another and making it possible to use asingle ply of thinner 4.and

less stilf sheet material than would bepossible if they base portionswere not mutually supported. series may be supported iby a filler card Cat the bottom of the frame (Fig. 2).

At the outer edge of each free portion 2 1s means to yengage the marginof a card insert 6, 'consisting preferably of a strip of tranwarentsheet celluloid 7 folded over and attached to the edge 2, forming apocket and sheath to receive the outer edge of the card insert. Theinner edge of the card insert 6 vterminates near, and aft any rate not`beyond,

The lowermost element of the v the hinge 3. .When the free portion v2 ofthe A card-holder is swung u ward on its hinge the top or inner edge othe card-insert, in`- stead of sliding up on the cardholder as it woulddo if the card-insert extended beyond the hinge, will remain in positionon the free portion of the holder, and its top or inner edge willengagethe crease or hinge 3 and hold the card insert against dislodgment. Thisconstruction also prevents the necessity of roviding a lug ortongue onthe cardhol er to engage the to of the card insert and hold it in place,as asheretofore been the practice. The crease or hinge 3 performs fthefunctions of such lug, reducesv the thickness of the index structurefacture. I p The body of the card-holders is preferably made ofcardboard, while the tip orv sheath 7 is of sheet celluloid. These ma'vision to permit relative movement of ex .pansion and .contractionbetween them. The y preferred structure for attaining this end comprisesa fastener in the form of a loop or link8 of wire, one end of which isatas a whole, and cheapens the cost of manutached to thebody of thecard-holder outside of the area covered by the strip 7, while the otherend is attached to the strip 7 and passes through an enlarged aperture 9in the card 2, said aperture being large enough to permitfreedom of playof the fastener therein sufficient to allow for relative movements ofexpansion and contraction between the members. The ends of the links 8which pass through the respective members are pivoted therein sovthatthe links will swing inward and outward as'the strip contracts orexpands on the card. The enlarged aperture 8 might-be placed in thestrip 7 instead of in the card; or the apertures 9 might open throughthe sides of the card as shown in Fig. 7 instead of being holes as inFigs. 1 and 3; and other forms of fastener might be used, so long asfreedom of play between the fastener and one at least of the members isprovided,l to admit of greater expansion or contraction of one memberthan the other to prevent buckling or warping; Moreover this feature isapplicable to other kinds of card-holders, or other index parts, whereina similar differencev of expansion and contraction between the partsfastened together results inthe buckling or warping of one of the parts.t

I claim:

1. An index device comprising a frame and a series of index elementssupported in the frame in overlapped spaced relation, each comprisingabase portion and a free portion hinged to the base portion, the baseportions being held flatwise in the frame and each having means forengaging the edge of the next adjacent base portion to hold saidelements in spaced relation with their base portions overlapping oneanother, whereby thebase portions are mutuallyu supported and stifenedone by anot er.

2. An index device comprising a frame and a series of index elementssupported in the frame in overlapped spaced relation, each comprising abase portion and a free portion hinged to the base portion, said partsbeing integrally formed of sheet material and the base portionconsisting of a single ply of such sheet material, the base portionsbeing held latwise in the frame and each having means for engaging theed e of the next adjacent base portion to ho d said elements in spacedrelation with their base portions overlapping one another, whereby thebase portions are mutually supported and s tifened one -by another.

3. An index device comprising a frame and a series of index elementssupported in the frame in overlapped spaced relation', each comprising abase portion and a free portion hinged to the base portion, the baseportions being held atwise in the frame and each having supporting andspacing tabs in a position spaced from the edge thereof for engaging theedge of the next adjacent base portion to hold said elements in spacedrelation with their base portions overlapping one another, whereby thebase vp0rtions are mutually supported and 'stife'ned oneb another. 4 1``1" 4:. index device comprising a frame and a series of card-holderssupported in said frame, each comprising a base portion held flatwise inthe frame and a free portion hinged to the base portion, the base poi'-tionbeing provided with supporting and spacing tabs in a position spacedfrom the edge thereof and adapted to engage the edge of the base portionof the next adjacent card-holder, to hold said card-holders inoverlapped spaced relation, means at the outer edge of the free portionto engage the margin of a card insert, and a card insert one margin ofwhich is held by said engaging means and the opposite margin of whichterminates not beyond the hinge, whereby the card insert will remain inposition on the free portion of the holder when the same is swung on itshinge.

5. n index device comprising a frame and a series of card-holderssupported in said frame,'each comprising a base portion held flatwise inthe frame and a free portion hinged to the base portion, the baseportion being provided with supporting and spacing ltabs in a positionspaced from the edge thereof and adapted to engage the edge of the baseportion of the next adjacent card-holder, to holdA said card-holders inoverlapped' spaced relation, means at the outer edge of the free portionto engage the margin of a card insert, and a card insert one margin ofwhich is held by said engaging means and the opposite margin of whichterminates near the hinge, whereby the engagement of the edge of thecard insert with the hinge will hold the card insert in osition andprevent the dislodgment o the same when the free portion of the holderis folded on its hinge.

6. An index element comprising a base portion liaving'laterallyextending projections adapted to engage the channels of a frame, and afree portion depending from the lower edge of the base portion anddivided from the base portion by a crease forming a hinge, all of saidparts being integrally formed of sheet material.

7. An index element comprising a base portion having laterally extendingprojections adapted to engage the channels of :i frame, a free portiondivided from the base portion by a crease forming a hinge, andsupporting and spacing tabs cut from the body of the base portion, allof said parts being integrally formed of sheet material.

8. An index element comprising a card, a sheath of sheet celluloid onthe card, and fasteners passing through both sheath and card attachingthe sheath to the card and vfastener for attachingthe sheath to the cardI comprising a link one end of which is at- "tached to the card and theother end to the sheath, whereby relative movement of expansion andcontraction is permitted between the sheathand card.

10. An index element comprising a card,

a sheath of sheet celluloid on the card, and a 'fastener for attachingthe v sheath to the card, one of the members through which the fastenerpasses having an aperture adapted to permit freedom of play of thefastener therein. I.

11. An index element comprising a card,

a sheath of sheet celluloid on the card, and a fastener for attachingthe sheath to the card. comprising a link, one end of which is at- Vtached to the card outside of the area covered by the sheath, and theother end of which is attached to the sheath and asses through anaperture provided there or in the card, said a erture being adapted topermit freedom o play of the fastener therein.

12. An index device comprising a body and a strip of'sheet materia entcoefiicients of expansion, and fasteners passing through both of saidmembers and attaching the two members together, adapted to permitrelative movement of expansion and contraction between them, 4 35 13. Anindex device comprising a body and. a strip of sheet material havindifferent coefficients of expansion, and asteners attaching the twomembers together comprising a link oneY end of which is pivotallyattached to the body outside of the area lcovered by the strip, and theother end of which is attached to the stri and passes through anaperture provid therefor in the body, said aperture .being ada ted to 45permit freedom of play ofthe astener therein.

14. An index device comprisinga body and a strip of sheet materia havingdiiferent coeiiicients of expansion, and a fastener if passing throughboth of said members and attachmg the two members together, one of saidmembers being provided with an aperture through Jwhich the fastenerpasses adapted to permit freedom of lplay of the`55 fastener therein.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this twelfth day of April, 1918.

" JAMES H. RAND.

